


Perfect Strangers

by SingingInTheRaiin



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: (the hitchcock movie), Gen, Hannibal Lecter is the Chesapeake Ripper, Happy Ending, M/M, Will is a writer, if you consider two murderers and their pseudo child running off to Europe to be happy, much different ending than the movie though, murders, strangers on a train AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:20:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25651993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingingInTheRaiin/pseuds/SingingInTheRaiin
Summary: Two strangers meet on a train, a young writer and a charming psychopath.Hannibal Lecter suggests that because they each want to get rid of someone, they should "exchange" murders, and that way neither will be caught. Hannibal commits the first murder, killing Will's husband Matthew, then tries to force Will to complete the bargain, and complete his  'becoming' along the way.
Relationships: Matthew Brown/Will Graham, Will Graham & Molly Foster, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 58





	Perfect Strangers

Will looked at his phone, saw the several missed notifications, and jammed the device back into his pocket. All of the missed calls and notifications were from his husband, Matthew. Will was still angry about the many recent revelations he’d had about his husband, though, and refused to talk to him until he’d had some more time to cool off.

As he stared out the window, lost in thought, he was pulled back to reality by the sound of someone nearby clearing their throat. Will looked up to see an attractive man in an expensive looking suit with a decidedly unattractive paisley tie. Not that Will really had much room to judge fashion, considering that even now he wore the first things he’d spotted at the department store that looked like they’d fit him. 

He raised one eyebrow, and the man gave him a sheepish little smile. “I do apologize, I know that it is terribly rude to disturb others like this, but I couldn’t help it when I recognized you. You are Will Graham, aren’t you?”

Will shifted on his seat, really not in the mood to get into a conversation with a fan. Mostly because the kinds of fans he had didn’t make for the best conversationalists. But also just because he valued his privacy. If it weren’t for the fact that his car had broken down, he wouldn’t be taking the train right now at all. “Yes,” he finally said, after an awkward silence had stretched out for uncomfortably long. 

Something about the other man’s smile seemed… off, somehow, but Will wrote it off as him just being tired. He really had to stop letting his overactive imagination get the better of him. It always made him see the worst in others, which wasn’t fair to them. “Ah, I am delighted to get this chance to meet you, then. I saw your commencement speech just recently.”

Will blinked once. “You’re a recent graduate?” He berated himself for feeling suspicious of that. Many older people went back to school later in their lives. And based on the man’s accent, he wasn’t born around here, which meant that it might not have been possible for him to go to university when he was younger. 

But then the man relieved him by shaking his head, making Will sound like slightly less of a judgemental idiot. “No, not me. I saw your speech in a video, actually. One of my patients showed it to me. I am a psychiatrist, you see.”

And immediately all feelings of uncomfortableness returned. Will had never been a fan of anyone who believed that they could see into his mind, and he knew that he was a tempting target for many of them. “I see,” he said shortly, hoping that the conversation could just end already. He almost regretted not owning a smartphone, because at least then he could hold it up in front of his face and pretend to be doing something. Instead he had a clunky old flip phone and nothing to hide behind. “That’s…” he trailed off, not sure of what he could say to make the man just leave him alone. It wasn’t anything against the specific man, not really, so much as it was that Will preferred to be alone.

The man seemed to sense at least some of Will’s thoughts, because he nodded apologetically. “I’m sorry, I’m sure you don’t appreciate being harassed by fans wherever you go.”

Then the man looked down at the newspaper he had rested on his lap. The sight was almost comical, compared to everyone else around them on their phones and computers and such. And even though the man didn’t look particularly bothered by the way that sad attempt at conversation had gone, Will couldn’t help feeling the slightest bit guilty. His editor, Alana, was always trying to encourage him to interact with his readers. She claimed that if he was more approachable, he’d get more offers for public appearances, which would put his face out there, which would increase sales, which would get him more money, etc. 

Besides, the man did have a pleasant enough voice, and he didn’t seem to be one of those crazy sorts of fans who would yell at him for mistreating their favorite characters, or some such nonsense. 

So Will took in a deep breath, then slowly let it out before he spoke, still looking over at the man. “If you’re a fan, perhaps you’d like an autograph?” That seemed like a reasonable offer of apology. But what if that sounded too cocky, like he was just assuming that this man would want anything of his? What if he wasn’t even a fan, and only recognized Will’s face from that graduation speech?

Before his thoughts could spiral out of control, the man looked up at him again with an admittedly charming smile. “I would be honored, Mr. Graham.”

Will let out a snort at the formality before he could stop himself. “Please, just call me Will.”

“Let me guess, Mr. Graham is your father?”

It was just a small thing, but usually people that knew of him were too starstruck (for reasons beyond Will’s comprehension) to talk to him like a normal person. “Nah, he would have hated it just as much as I do. He was a simple boat repairman, no need for nothing fancy for him.”

The man nodded, and then leaned forward enough that his hand could stick out into the aisle between their seats. “Dr. Hannibal Lecter,” he introduced himself. “But if I am to call you Will, then I insist that you call me Hannibal.”

It was an unusual name, though it rolled off the tongue nicely when Will repeated it out loud. “Hannibal, then.” He accepted the handshake, though he pulled away quickly, not generally fond of direct contact with others. “Do you have a pen and paper for that autograph?” 

Hannibal’s eyes gleamed happily as he reached into the briefcase that was resting next to him, and quickly pulled out a blank sheet of paper and a fountain pen that looked like it cost a lot more than a writing utensil was worth. He handed them over, and Will had to turn around so that he could press the paper flat against the window, since the seats were too soft to write on. He scribbled out his messy signature, then turned around to hand the paper and pen back. He couldn’t quite reach from where he was sitting in the middle of his seat, and for some reason, Hannibal didn’t seem to be able to stretch out as far as before. So Will stood up and stepped across the small aisle to hand over the items. 

Hannibal accepted them with what seemed almost like misplaced reverence, and carefully put them back into his briefcase before snapping it shut with some finality. “Thank you, Will. I know that you don’t often give out your autograph, so I truly appreciate this. Allow me to show you my gratitude, and treat you to lunch.”

Will frowned, and shook his head. “Oh, that’s alright. If this train sticks to its schedule then I should be home in time to eat. Besides, there’s a perfectly fine dining car here.”

The look on Hannibal’s face made it clear just what he thought of that ‘perfectly fine’ dining car. “Ah, I mean no offense to those who work on this train, but between you and me, I must admit that I find something to be lacking in the dishes that are served here. That is why I always travel with food that I have prepared myself. I have enough for two if you’d care to accompany me back to my cabin?”

Will should have just refused and let this whole strange moment be done with already, but his stomach growled loudly right then, almost as though on cue, and he accepted defeat with a simple, “What did you make?”   
,,,

Will slumped back in his seat after finishing the delicious meal that Hannibal had provided. It really was much better than anything he’d ever eaten on a train before, let alone whatever quick microwave meal he would have made for himself at home. “You should quit being a psychiatrist and take up cooking. I’m sure you’d be able to make a fortune from it.”

Hannibal’s smile was somewhat smug, but Will let it go because it was kind of deservedly so, at least in this situation. “Thank you, but the only payment I need for my cooking is to see others enjoy it.” Well, that sounded about as pretentious as Will would have expected based on what little he knew of the man in front of him. Regardless, things were pleasant enough, at least until Hannibal spoke again. “I know that one shouldn’t take gossip seriously, but I suppose I can’t help noticing what’s being said. If the reports on your marriage hold any truth in them, then I am sorry. I have worked with many individuals going through divorces, and I understand the stress that can come from such a separation.”

Will narrowed his eyes and sat up straight, suddenly feeling on guard. “No offense, Dr. Lecter, but I hardly think that my marriage is any of your concern.”

He wanted to just get up and leave right then, but Hannibal continued talking, and Will really didn’t want a news story popping up about how rude he was. He knew how quickly authors could get cancelled in this day and age over the littlest things. “You are correct, of course. I apologize. Perhaps there will come a day where I won’t need to apologize to you quite so much.”

Will crossed his arms over his chest. “That would imply that we will ever see each other again. And to be honest, I just don’t find you that interesting.”

He wasn’t sure why, but for some reason, that seemed to bring an excited gleam into Hannibal’s eyes. “You know, I’ve always had this fascinating little idea. Would you like to hear it? I’ve always wondered what would happen if there were two complete strangers who meet completely by coincidence, and each of them wanted someone dead. The biggest thing that gets murderers caught is the motive, but if one were to travel and murder a complete stranger that they’d never met before, well, there would be no reason to connect the two. For instance, an unruly spouse, or a cruel father.”

From the tone of Hannibal’s voice, Will honestly couldn’t tell if the man was being serious or not, and he wasn’t sure that he wanted to know. He intentionally didn’t look closer to try and get a better read on the man. Sometimes there were just bad people in the world, and there was nothing that could be done about it. The way that the scar on his shoulder ached seemed like proof enough of that. 

Done with the conversation, and truly glad that he’d never have to see this man again, Will abruptly stood up and grabbed his jacket from where he’d draped it over the seat. “Look, I appreciate the lunch, but I’ve got to go.” He didn’t even bother with a ‘nice to meet you’, because it would just be a lie.

Hannibal stood as well, and reached out to shake Will’s hand without any prompting. “Ah, it was such a pleasure to meet you Will. But I do wonder- what do you think of my little idea?”

Will yanked his hand free as gently as he could manage, and was surprised when Hannibal easily let go of it. “I have to go,” he repeated, in a firmer voice this time. He wasn’t going to encourage whatever insanity went on in this man’s head, but he was also smart enough to not call him insane to his face.

He hurried off, completely unaware of the way Hannibal continued to stare in his direction long after he’d moved to a different car. And he definitely didn’t notice the hungry glint in the eyes of a man who’d already just eaten such a large meal.

,,,

Will felt exhausted by the time he got out of a cab at home. Considering his somewhat celebrity status, he knew better than to try any confrontations in public. Just look how well that had gone last time, with random strangers talking about his marriage as if it was any of their business.

He let himself into the house, and grinned despite himself when he was surrounded by a flock of jumpy, barking dogs. He made sure to give them all an equal amount of pets and kisses to the tops of their heads, and eventually they were satisfied enough to let him pass further into the house.

Will looked up from the dogs, and saw Matthew standing in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen, leaned up against the doorframe. He had a fond look on his face. “As soon as I heard the cacophony, I knew that you had to be home. How was your trip?”

Will took in a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “Weird.” But he didn’t elaborate, because he didn’t want to set off any kind of conversation that wasn’t directly related to why he was here. “Look, Matthew, we need to talk. You agreed that once I got home, you’d have a lawyer picked out so that we can start the process.”

The mention of the elephant in the room made Matthew’s smile fade away. “Lawyers are expensive,” he said flippantly. “I work as a night nurse in a mental hospital. Do you really think I make enough to afford that kind of thing?”

Will sighed. It seemed like every time the topic of a divorce came up, Matthew would try to find some excuse or another to avoid it. “I have money. I can give you enough to get a good lawyer of your own.” 

Matthew narrowed his eyes, and then finally made his way closer to Will, stepping in a careful, deliberate way that made it clear he saw himself as a predator. A hawk, he liked to call himself. Will took half a step back, but that was as far as he could go with the dogs still circling around his legs. “You know I don’t want to leave you,” Matthew said in a soft, dangerous voice. “I love you more than anything. I’ve never been disloyal to you. I’ve never given you any reason to fear me.”

Will snorted. “Really? You think that I have no reason to fear you?”

Matthew took another step closer. “No. I would never hurt you, baby. You and me, we’re both hawks. We have to stick together.”

“I’m not like you. Not at all.”

Matthew laughed, like Will’s protest was amusing to him. “I’ve read all your books, you know.”

“Those are just fiction!”   


Matthew shrugged. “Maybe. But all those ideas didn’t come out of nowhere. And if you really fear me so much, then why haven’t you gone to the police? And don’t even bother threatening to go now, we both know that you won’t. You’re as tied up in me as I am in you. Why fight our connection?” He was close enough now that he could reach over and gently cup the sides of Will’s face. “I just love you so much, I can’t stand the thought of ever leaving you. I refuse to leave you, Will.”

Will wanted to jerk back, but the touch felt so warm and comforting, a feeling that he’d come to associate with very few people over the years. Matthew was one of the few who had managed to worm his way past Will’s walls, and even now, with everything that he knew, he found it difficult to hate his husband. 

Half-afraid that something like this would happen, even though he’d tried to remain optimistic, Will spouted off one of the excuses he’d come up with while he was away. “I can’t be with you anymore, Matthew. I’m in love with someone else. You can use that against me to get as much of my money as you want, but I-”

He was cut off by Matthew moving in closer and stealing a long kiss that left Will somewhat breathless. “You’re adorable when you try to lie,” Matthew said in a breathy whisper. “But you forget that I know you just as well as you know me. You and Molly are just friends. Do you really think I didn’t investigate that much for myself? It hurt when she encouraged you to get away from me, even if you didn’t tell her everything, but I didn’t touch her, because she’s your friend. Doesn’t that prove to you what a devoted husband I am?”

Will closed his eyes, and finally managed to pull away from Matthew. “If you’re going to refuse to divorce me, then I’ll just leave. I have plenty of money, I can live on my own anywhere. But Matthew, if you really loved me, you’d be willing to let me go.”

Matthew laughed softly, and he didn’t seem offended by the fact that Will had pulled away from him. “Oh baby, it’s because I love you so much that I can’t let go.”

Disturbed by the words, Will turned and left the house without saying anything. He got into his car and drove to the nearest town, then pulled into the parking lot of some diner. He fumbled to grab his phone out of his pocket and dial Molly’s number. “He refuses to divorce me,” were the first words out of his mouth.

Molly let out a sympathetic sigh. “Oh, Will. What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know. I could just kill him,” he swore, in the way one does when frustrated, and not when they actually mean it. Several motorcycles drove by right then, and Molly shouted that she hadn’t heard what Will said. “I could just kill him!” he repeated loudly enough to be heard over the roar of engines. “I’m sorry, Molly, I know that none of this is your problem.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Will Graham. You know that I’m here to support you no matter what happens. That’s what friends are for, right?” There was a teasing lilt to her voice now, but there hadn’t been all those months ago when she’d worked up the courage to confess her feelings for him. Will’s biggest fear after rejecting her was that their friendship would be ruined, but she had bounced back quickly, and things had soon returned to the same as they were before. But now Will couldn’t help but wonder just how often Matthew must have stalked him to have happened to be there on the specific day that Will had turned Molly down. He shivered despite the warm weather. “Well, if you need a place to stay while you figure things out, you know that you’re always welcome here. And Walter would love to see you.”

“Thanks, Molly. I think that I might actually take you up on that, just as soon as I’ve finished with this guest lecture that I already agreed to do for a nice university. I was actually thinking that I might take a boat there. You know how relaxing I find boats to be.”

She laughed. “Yeah, believe me, I know. Alright then, Will. Just let me know whenever you want to come by. We’ll be here. And as for Matthew, well, I’m sure that everything will work out in the end. These things always do.”

,,,

Hannibal hadn’t expected there to be anything particularly interesting about a simple train ride. He’d only taken the train so that he could follow Garrett Jacob Hobbs to figure out exactly what the man was up to. From everything he knew of Abigail Hobbs from their sessions together, Hannibal was sure that if he had any children, he would want one just like her. The only thing that stood in the way of that was the pesky matter of her parents. 

Of course Hannibal was a seasoned killer who had plenty of experience with covering his tracks. But he’d never before wanted to target someone who could be so easily traced back to him in terms of motive, if Hannibal were to get his way and be able to adopt Abigail. 

It was a conundrum that had bothered him for many months now. And now he had found his solution. Will Graham. The first time Hannibal had read one of Will Graham’s books, he had already found himself quite intrigued by the mind that had been able to come up with such dark and beautiful thoughts. 

When he’d gotten the chance to actually meet him in person, he had been quite pleased. Of course, Will Graham had turned out to be a bit rougher around the edges than Hannibal would normally prefer, but for just this one man, Hannibal found that behavior to be somewhat endearing. And he could also see just how much potential Will had. 

Now if what Hannibal had read held even a grain of truth, then it meant that Will would be going through the process of a messy divorce sometime soon. That could certainly cause enough stress to lead a man to kill. And with that, Hannibal came up with the perfect plan. It was definitely a big risk to expose himself so quickly, but he was confident that Will would agree, even if not immediately. He could see what kind of a man Will Graham was. 

But if this little exchange required one person to reach out first, then Hannibal was more than happy to do so. He had his good standing in society and his excellent clean up skills to ensure that even if Will freaked out and went to the police, there wouldn’t actually be any reason for them to suspect that Hannibal was responsible. And he’d been careful to give almost no details at all about the murder that he would want committed, so Will wouldn’t even have that information to offer up.

So Hannibal headed to Virginia, easily finding Will’s home address after just a quick google search. It was truly sad how much privacy had gone out of style lately, but it did work out for him. Then Hannibal changed into some of his worse off clothing, and took a trip down to Wolf’s Trap.

Between what he could find online, and just a few days of tailing Matthew Brown led Hannibal to figure out that it would be a pretty easy target. Will wasn’t around, so he’d probably have an alibi (though even if he didn’t, that was fine too, because Hannibal was curious to see what Will would do once backed into a corner). The house was out in the middle of nowhere, with no neighbors nearby to wander into the scene too soon.

He generally didn’t think of himself as an impulsive person, but Hannibal decided that he should just take this opportunity now, while he had it. So he gathered a few tools that he’d packed for the trip, put on his plastic suit over his clothes, and walked into the house. He didn’t even have to force the door open, because apparently the couple that lived here didn’t care enough about security to bother locking up.

Hannibal noted the bed in the living room, and set it aside as something strange to ask Will about later. For now, he crept through the house, already prepared with treats to pay off the dogs before they could get him caught. Will Graham was a very private person, but one of the few things he could find out was that Will loved dogs, so Hannibal had assumed he’d come across a couple of them.

The house was silent, though, and Hannibal wondered if he’d missed Matthew taking the dogs out on a walk or something. Then he heard the whoosh of air moving, and quickly dodged aside what appeared to be some kind of tranquilizer dart. The man wielding the tranquilizer gun gave him a cocky smile. “Oh, buddy, you picked the wrong house to break into.”

And even though Hannibal would never consider this man to be anywhere near Hannibal’s own level, he suddenly understood what had attracted him to Will in the first place. It was the same thing that had attracted Hannibal, the idea of someone who could truly see and understand him. Unfortunately for Matthew, Hannibal refused to be the loser of this fight.

It turned into a long brawl, both of them getting in multiple good hits on each other. At one point, Matthew tossed the tranq gun aside, apparently eager for a good fight. And it was his home turf, so he did have the advantage there. But things took an abrupt turn when a familiar voice called out. “Hey, why are the dogs tied outside? I thought we…” Will trailed off as he looked up from the papers in his hand, and took in every detail. 

Hannibal would have loved to just watch Will as he observed the room, but Matthew was also distracted by the appearance of his husband, who he clearly hadn’t expected. “Will, you’re back. I thought you were going to stay at-” Before he could finish his sentence, Hannibal rushed forward and jammed a scalpel into Matthew’s neck, directly into the artery that he expertly located. 

Matthew let out a wet, choked noise, then Hannibal yanked the scalpel out, and watched dispassionately as the man dropped to the floor, blood slowly spilling out from his wound. Will let out a loud shout, then dropped to his knees and pressed his hands to the injury. “Matthew, hold on, just hold on, please, you can’t die here, Matt, what…” Hannibal took great delight in witnessing the exact moment that Will felt the life slip out of Matthew’s body.

He sat back on his feet, then looked up at Hannibal. With his glasses on, it was difficult to figure out exactly what emotions were playing in Will’s eyes, but Hannibal found that he was greedy to learn for himself. He’d been intrigued by Will before, yes, but now that he saw Will covered in blood, Hannibal knew that it was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. 

Will glanced back and forth between his dead husband and Hannibal, then he slowly got back up to his feet. “What did you do? What the hell did you do?”

“I did you a favor,” Hannibal assured him. “A man like that, with such an obsession with you, would have never given you up. I set you free. You’re welcome. Now, I’m sure you’d like a few days before you return the favor.” He was still careful to not elaborate on the murder he wanted done in return.

Will clenched his bloody hands into fists, and shook his head. “You psycho, I’m not doing shit for you! I’m going to call the police and tell them exactly what happened!”

Hannibal moved towards Will, clearly much quicker than Will had expected, and reached over to take both of Will’s hands in his own. He wished that he wasn’t wearing gloves, so that he could feel the warmth of the skin and the blood against his own skin, but he knew that now wasn’t the time for that. “If you tell the police, what do you think will come of it? You’d be arrested as an accessory. Matthew and I have never met before, live several hours apart, and have absolutely nothing in common. The first thing the police will ask is how I decided to come here. To the place where you were planning on getting a divorce. They’ll ask how you got me to kill him. You’ll never escape suspicion.”

Will let out a strangled sounding sob. “Even if I didn’t turn you in, I’d never escape suspicion. The spouse is always the first one suspected, and I’m standing here right now at the moment of death, so clearly I have no alibi.”

“So leave. Come back later. Go to wherever it is that Matthew clearly expected you to be. It won’t be perfect, but it will be better than if you call it in yourself.”

Will shook his head, and reached up to run a hand through his hair, leaving a streak of rust-color through the strands. “But I’m not guilty. I didn’t do this,” he insisted. “You did this. You’re the murderer.”

Hannibal shrugged. “Take my advice, or don’t. But know this: if I go down, I will certainly not be going alone. And don’t forget to give me a call once you’re ready to uphold your end of things.”

“I never agreed to anything,” Will said listlessly. “And I don’t have your number.”

Hannibal didn’t bother trying to hold in his smirk. “You’re a clever man, Will. I’m sure that you can figure it out.” He wanted to stick around, but knew that it would be best to give Will some time to himself to try and process all of this. Pushing too much too fast wouldn’t end well for any of them, and Hannibal had already gone further than Will seemed ready for. It certainly hadn’t factored into any of his calculations that Will might return home right in the middle of the action. But all the same, Hannibal couldn’t deny that he was quite pleased with how that had gone.

,,,

Will knew that if he did anything to hide his minor involvement, it would only make him look more guilty if it were to come up later. But he also thought that Hannibal might be right. There was no reason for Hannibal Lecter to come here just to kill Matthew, not without there being some connection between Hannibal and Will.

Will had only come by with the intention of grabbing some clothes to bring with him to Molly’s. He’d never told her what time he was going to show up. Will took several deep breaths, then decided that he needed to do what was best for himself. He did feel sad that Matthew was gone; as much as they’d had their problems, Will had never hated his husband. But there was also a sense of relief at knowing that he wasn’t stuck with Matthew forever.

But that definitely didn’t mean that Will was going to thank Hannibal for what he’d done. Will felt sorry for Hannibal’s patients, being treated for their mental disorders by a man who was clearly extremely unstable. 

Still, self-preservation won out, which led Will to leave the house. Once outside, he took careful stock of his appearance. His hands and probably hair had blood on them, but his clothes were still clean other than a few drops of blood on one of his sleeves that could easily be covered up with a jacket until he found somewhere to dispose of it. So Will just turned on the hose to wash himself down, then kicked around the mud to cover whatever little traces of blood might have dropped down there.

He didn’t want to leave his dogs hungry, but he knew that he couldn’t leave any signs that he might have been here, so he just whispered apologies to them before he got into his car and drove away. He went straight to Molly’s house, where he knocked on the door with some urgency before he calmed down enough to knock like a normal person.

She opened the door, and Will threw himself forward to hug her. Molly immediately returned the hug, even though she looked slightly bemused. “Hey, is everything okay?”

Will sighed, and then nodded. “I just hope that he’ll change his mind, but I really don’t want to talk about it right now, if that’s okay?”

Molly nodded, then stepped aside so that Will could enter the house. He kicked his shoes off and lined them up next to the other pairs, then followed Molly to the kitchen. “Tea? Coffee? Something stronger?”

Getting drunk sounded quite tempting, but Will was afraid of what he might say with looser lips, so he just settled for some coffee. He didn’t even like coffee, though some people would find that hard to believe based on the speed in which he downed it. “So what are you up to?”

Molly shrugged. “I was just about to get started on dinner. Want to help me?”

Will nodded, grateful for the distraction, and joined her by the counter once he’d finished his coffee and set the mug down in the sink. For now, he was just determined to not think about anything that had happened. It wasn’t until after they’d eaten, and he was playing catch with Walter in the backyard, that Will remembered that he’d never wiped off Matthew’s neck, which now surely contained perfect little handprints.

,,,

Will was just setting several big grocery bags down on the counter when his phone rang. He frowned when he didn’t recognize the number, but answered it anyways. “Hello?”

“Is this Will Graham?”

Will blinked once. He definitely didn’t recognize the voice. Some fan who’d somehow gotten his number, maybe? “Yes, who is this?”

There was a sigh on the other end, and then the voice sounded more sympathetic. “Mr. Graham, I’m Agent Jack Crawford, from the FBI. Where are you right now?”

Will’s heart started pounding in his chest as he considered the only reason an FBI agent would be calling him right now (though he wasn’t sure why it would be the FBI rather than a normal police detective). He fought to keep his voice steady so that he wouldn’t give away more than his handprint on the scene already had. “I’m at a friend’s house in DC. What’s this about?”

Jack sighed. “You might want to sit down. I’m sure that it would be better to tell you in person, but it’s best that you hear it now before you can hear it from someone else. I’m afraid that I have some tragic news. Your husband, Matthew Brown, was found dead in your home just a few hours ago.”

Will’s fingers tightened around his phone. “What- what happened?”

Jack took in a deep breath, then slowly let it out, sounding like a whoosh of wind over the line. “He was murdered. It would be best if you could get to my office as soon as possible.”

Everything after that seemed to happen in a blur, and Will felt barely aware of anything. He told Molly that he had to take off for the day, though once he shared what had happened, she offered to be the one to drive him. It was probably for the best, because Will suddenly felt far too sick to his stomach to be in charge of operating heavy machinery.

He was barely aware of the ride to the bureau building, and only had to ask around briefly before finding his way to Jack’s office. He took a deep breath, then knocked on the door, glad that he’d asked Molly to wait outside. Once he was called to come in, he stepped through the doorway with wobbly legs, and sank down into one of the empty chairs almost immediately. 

The man behind the desk, presumably Jack Crawford, gave Will a long look. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he finally said. “I’m sure you have a lot to deal with at the moment, but if you’ve got the time, it would be useful for you to answer just a few questions.” Will nodded, feeling numb, and Jack cleared his throat to begin. “Matthew’s body was found by a concerned coworker when he missed work for three days without calling in. Can you tell me where you’ve been for the past three days?”

Will gulped, then nodded. “At my friend’s house. Molly Foster.”

“How long have you been staying there?”

“Since Friday afternoon. I’m not sure exactly what time, I just went there once I got back from a work trip I’d been on.”

Jack gave him a sharp look before scribbling that down. “Did Matthew have any enemies that you know of?”

Will thought of Hannibal, and how he should never have been Matthew’s enemy. Then he shook his head. “No. He was a hard worker, got along well with his colleagues. And from what I’ve heard, he’s always been one of the nicer ones to his patients.”

“At the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane?” Will nodded. Jack wrote that down, then leaned back in his seat. “I know that you have a history in law enforcement, Mr. Graham, so I’m going to be frank with you here. There are multiple news articles reporting plans of a divorce between the two of you, with all different speculations about why. Is there any truth to that?”

It would be easy to lie, since only a handful of close friends knew the truth, but he was worried about how it would make him look, especially if Molly was interviewed. He wouldn’t ask her to lie for him too, so he would tell the version of the truth that her and a few others knew. “Yes. I know it’s probably hard to believe, but there really wasn’t any hostility between us about it. There were no scandalous affairs, or drug problems, or abuse, or whatever else it is that people have guessed about. We just… grew apart.”

Jack nodded, though it was difficult to tell from his face whether he believed Will or not. “I know this must be hard for you, but can you tell me about your relationship?”

All of it was probably easy enough information to find online, but Will obliged anyways. He knew that it was best to be as cooperative here as possible. “We met in university through a class we had together, dated for a little while, then broke up when I moved back to New Orleans. As you know, I was an officer down there for a couple of years until I retired early, and I moved a little further north. Matthew and I bumped into each other by coincidence and reconnected. We rushed through the whole courting and marriage process, and after a few years, it became clear that we weren’t really right for each other. And that’s all there is to it.”

“Hm. I see. Well, I think that’s probably all for now, though I do ask that you be available to answer any further questions as they might come up. Oh, and I would like to speak with this friend of yours, Molly, you said?” Will nodded. “Right. I’d like to speak with her to confirm your alibi as soon as possible.”

“She drove me here, so I can just go get her if you want.”

Jack nodded. “Seems efficient.” If he thought it was suspicious that Will had brought his alibi here with him, he didn’t say anything about it.

Will got up, but then paused in the doorway of Jack’s office. “I feel like I have to ask- why are you involved in this case? The FBI, I mean. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful, because it increases the chances of Matt’s killer being caught, but I know that the bureau doesn’t generally get involved in local murders.”

When Jack just stared at him for a few long, uncomfortable seconds, Will started to regret asking. He just couldn’t help feeling curious about the abnormal situation. But then Jack finally answered, and if he felt more suspicious of Will than he had a moment ago, he didn’t let on. “I wasn’t sure how to bring it up before, but the reason the FBI was called in is because we suspect that your husband was killed by the Chesapeake Ripper.”

,,,

“Molly, I’m so sorry to drag you into this. I can find somewhere else to stay if you don’t feel comfortable with me being here.”

Molly reached out to place a gentle hand on Will’s arm. “What are you talking about? Of course I’m not going to kick you out. Not after… well.”

Will sighed, then gestured towards the nearest window. “You might change your mind after you look outside.” Molly furrowed her eyebrows as she pulled back the curtain enough to peek outside, and then she dropped it and looked back at Will, looking confused. “They believe me that I’ve been staying here, but since I came back by a boat that doesn’t run on a schedule, they said that there’s no way to know whether I came straight here or whether I had enough time to go home first. Since they don’t actually have any evidence against me, at least not anything that isn’t circumstantial considering I live in that house too, they’ve decided to tail me around for a while instead. That woman out there is named Beverly. From the chat I had with her earlier, she’s nice enough, if a bit nosey. Her shift will end soon, and she’ll be replaced by a man named Jimmy. This is going to be my life, Molly, at least until they catch whoever is actually responsible for this.”

She opened her arms, and Will gratefully sank into the offered hug. “Will, I hope for your sake that this whole situation will be done with sooner rather than later, but I swear to you that for as long as you need it, you’ll always have a place here.” Will easily returned the hug, feeling grateful. He wasn’t sure how this had become his life, but he knew that he would just have to deal with it, at least until he could figure out a way to deal with Hannibal Lecter.   
,,,

Will shifted his gaze so that he was staring just over Alana’s shoulder. “I don’t know, that doesn’t really seem like the best idea.”

Alana gave him a small smile. “After everything you’ve been through in the past few days, I’d say that you of all people deserve a break. If for no other reason, then at least come for the free food. I can promise you that my friend is a very good cook.”

He hated all the fancy, rich people type events that Alana liked dragging him to, but he knew that she always had the best intentions. She just wanted him to get his face out there, to raise his sales. She was also pretty much his only friend besides Molly, so Will hated to let her down.

After avoiding her pleading look for another few seconds, Will finally sighed and gave in. “Alright, alright, I’ll be there. But if I have to dress up nice for this thing, then you’ll have to bring me some clothes. I haven’t been back to the house since…” he trailed off awkwardly.

Instead of giving in to that awkwardness, Alana just nodded. “Of course. You said that you’re staying with Molly, right? I can bring you a suit to change into and then we can drive to Hannibal’s place together.”

Will immediately jolted upright in his seat. He knew that there were very rarely coincidences in life, and he also knew that the name Hannibal wasn’t exactly a common one. “Who?”

Alana arched one eyebrow and gave him a pointed look. “Hannibal? I have told you about him before. It’s not my fault that you barely ever pay attention.”

Will felt his cheeks heat up at the accusation, even if it had been said in a playful tone. “Ah, sorry, I guess I’ve just had a lot on my mind lately.”

Her face immediately softened, just as Will had known it would. “I know. But that’s why it’ll be good to give you something to distract you.”

He sensed that the conversation was about to move in a different direction, so Will hurried to say, “I know you’ll probably have to tell him you’re bringing someone so that he can make enough food, or whatever, but would you mind not telling him that it’s me?” When Alana gave him a curious look, he scrambled to think of a good excuse. “You said that he’s a therapist, right? You know how that sort is when they meet me.”

She had been witness to such moments on multiple occasions, and that was enough to sway her into agreement. “Alright, I’ll let it be a little surprise.” Then the topic shifted from there, and Will let himself drift off a bit, already dreading (feeling curious) about how the dinner party would go.

It wasn’t until a little while later, though, after the bill had been paid and Will got up to leave, Beverly following him closely, that Will realized the agent wasn’t the only one following him. Will looked across the street, and his eyes immediately landed on Hannibal despite the big crowd around him. Their eyes met, and they just stared at each other for what felt like years before Will managed to tear himself away. “Let’s go, it’s getting late,” Will insisted, interrupting whatever Beverly had been in the middle of saying about some book that she’d read lately that reminded her of Will’s style. She gave him a searching look, then nodded and got into the back of a cab with him. 

Even long after they were gone, Will felt as though Hannibal’s eyes were still on him, burning a fire into his skin with the intensity of his gaze. 

,,,

Hannibal smiled at Alana as he carefully took her coat from her. It was always a pleasure to have her around, because as intelligent as she was, she had still been completely and utterly fooled by Hannibal’s person suit. It was rather exhilarating to know that he was capable of getting away with literal murder even with such a clever person standing next to him. 

Then he shifted his attention, ready to greet the plus-one that Alana had brought with her. The last person Hannibal expected to see was Will. If he were any less experienced, he might have frozen on the spot out of surprise, but instead he smoothly reached out to take Will’s jacket. Will had to let him if he didn’t want to appear rude, and Hannibal let his fingers drag gently over Will’s shoulders, and down his arms. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said in a voice slightly rougher than normal.

Will blinked a few times, as if coming out of a trance, and then offered Hannibal a tight smile. “Yes, you as well.” There wasn’t time for much else before the next guest arrived that Hannibal had to greet. But even after Will moved further into the house, Hannibal felt constantly aware of the other man’s presence. 

It wasn’t until later, after dinner when everyone was mingling, that Hannibal got another chance to approach Will, and he took it immediately. “Where is your lovely date?”

Will started in surprise before turning around to look at Hannibal. “Catching up with some old friend of hers, I think.”

Hannibal smiled, and spoke in a voice that was soft enough that only Will would be able to hear it. “So how is the newly single life treating you? I wasn’t aware that you knew Alana, though perhaps I should have known that you would move on with such a lovely and intelligent woman.”

Will looked confused by that, and he shook his head. “Alana-? No, no, there’s nothing like that between us. She’s my friend, and my editor. Though I suppose I should be flattered that you think she’d go for someone like you.” 

Hannibal itched to dig deeper into that self-deprecating remark, but he knew that now wasn’t the time. “So are you ready to fulfill your end of our bargain now?”

That made Will’s face twist up in anger, and Hannibal wished that he had some charcoal and paper on hand, because he wanted to immortalize that exquisite expression. “Are you insane? I never agreed to anything! You’re the one who went and decided on your own that you were going to-!” He spoke in an angry hiss, but then lowered his voice even further. “The FBI got involved because they think the Chesappeake Ripper killed Matthew. Care to explain where they might have gotten that idea from?”

Of course Hannibal had known that there would be certain risks if he went back to the scene of the crime once Will had left, but it had been necessary. Will had left a few traces of himself behind that he’d forgotten about, and Hannibal hadn’t wanted to see him get arrested for the crime, at least not until after he took care of Hannibal’s little problem. And while he’d been there, just innocently cleaning up, he’d decided that it would be such a waste to just leave the body like that. So he’d gotten a little fancy, confident that he’d have plenty of time to work, and now here they were. But there was nothing connecting Hannibal to the crime, and therefore to the Ripper, other than Will’s testimony. Besides, it was worth it just to see that look on Will’s face. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” he said in his blandest voice.

Will sighed, and his anger leached away, leaving him looking mostly just tired. “Look, maybe you’re an infamous serial killer, or maybe the other day was your first time, but either way, you are a murderer. You need to turn yourself in. You know that I’m not responsible for what happened to Matt, and you know that I can’t return whatever favor it is that you think I owe you. So just leave me alone, turn yourself in, and be done with it.”

Hannibal was silent for a few seconds, taking in Will’s appearance, and then he gave Will a friendly smile that could almost be described as shark-like, were anyone else to see it. “I am a patient man, Will. But do take care not to sound ungrateful for what I did to you. It would be so unfortunate if new evidence was discovered that could link you to the murder.” Will furrowed his eyebrows, and Hannibal just continued to smile at him. “I know that you didn’t fear what he would do to you, but what he meant. You fear that you connected with him for a reason, because you are the same. But you have nothing to fear, Will. Nothing but yourself. Until you learn to accept every part of yourself, you will always live in turmoil.” 

Will scowled, and crossed his arms over his chest. “The only thing I’m afraid of is you, you psycho.”

The pleasant smile on Hannibal’s face refused to droop. “I’m sorry that you feel that way. Regardless, it was so lovely to see you again. Here is my card; call me when you are ready. Until then, I truly hope you enjoyed your evening. I’d like to think that I put a lot of heart into my cooking.”

Will frowned, then stormed off, getting as close to stomping as he could without causing a scene. Hannibal watched as Will made his way over to Alana and whispered something to her urgently. She frowned then nodded, and then Will headed towards the front door, clearly ready to head home. Pleased with himself, Hannibal returned to entertaining the other guests, not one to let anyone go unattended for too long. Afterall, it wouldn’t do to sully his reputation as a gentleman.

,,,

Will paced around for a while after helping tuck Walter into bed, and then he finally decided that he knew what he needed to do. Of course he couldn’t actually kill whoever it was that Hannibal wanted dead, but maybe he could play along, at least for a moment, and give himself the opportunity to warn the potential victim of the circumstances.

Satisfied that he’d figured out his best course of action, Will bid a brief goodnight to Molly, then headed out so that he could make the call from a payphone nowhere near the house. Jimmy, who was supposed to be watching Will at the moment, was slumped over asleep in his car, so he was easy enough to walk right by without being caught. The last thing he wanted to do was accidentally get himself or Molly implicated in anything worse.

Even though it was getting late, Hannibal answered the call almost immediately. “Good evening, Will.”

Will clenched his hand tightly around the phone, and took a few deep breaths to try and stop himself from getting freaked out by the fact that Hannibal had known it was him before he’d even spoken a word. “I’ll do it,” he bit out. “Give me the details, and I’ll do you ‘favor’.”

There was a moment of silence, and then Hannibal responded with the casualness of someone discussing the weather. “I must admit that I am surprised by this sudden turnabout. When last we spoke, you seemed quite adamant about never following through.”

Will thought of everything Hannibal had said to him so far, and tried to put it together into what he thought Hannibal would most want to hear. “I’ve given a lot of thought to what you said the other day. About Matthew. And I realized that you were wrong. I’m nothing like him. Because I’m like you, aren’t I?”

In the brief pause that followed, Will squeezed his eyes shut and desperately hoped that Hannibal would just take him at his word and accept that Will had had a change of heart. Otherwise, he had no idea what he’d do. He was relieved when Hannibal finally responded. “I am so glad to hear it, Will. It is always important to learn who you are before you can truly understand your impact on the world around you. But I believe there is one last stage before you can fully become yourself.” He rattled off an address that Will scrambled to write down, and ended up jotting it in an open text to himself on his phone, careful not to hit send so that there would be no record of it. “The man you are after is not fit to be a parent. You’ll find him in the first door you see when you go up the stairs.”

Not much in the mood for chit chat with a murderer, Will quickly found an excuse to hang up after that, and headed home. He’d take one day to spend with Walter and Molly to just enjoy his life, and then he’d slip out tomorrow night to go and warn Hannibal’s father of what was going on. Hopefully that would be enough to put an end to all this madness. 

,,,

As Will climbed out the back window of the second floor hall, he wondered how it was possible that the FBI had sent the most incompetant people to tail him. Maybe he really wasn’t being looked at as a serious suspect, but in that case, why bother following him at all?

It didn’t matter, though, since Will was able to carefully climb down to the ground and then hurry off without being spotted. He had a hunting knife tucked into one of his pockets just in case, but he hoped that it wouldn’t come to that. 

He went to the address that Hannibal had given him, and found himself staring at an ordinary looking house. Somehow it wasn’t what he would have expected from Hannibal’s parents. But he soldiered on, and broke the glass of the kitchen door window so that he could carefully reach in and unlock the door. He winced when a small shard still sticking out of the wood sliced into his hand, but he didn’t have the time to stop and slap a bandaid on it.

Will carefully made his way through the house and up the stairs, and then stopped at the closed door in front of him. He took a deep breath, then pushed the door open, revealing a decent sized bedroom, though it was too dark to make out many details. One thing Will could see, though, was the lump under the blankets in the shape of a person.

Will really hoped that this wasn’t about to make things worse. He cleared his throat, and immediately started speaking, trying to get his words in before there were too many threats of calling the police pulled on him. “Mr. Lecter, there is something very wrong with your son. He wants you dead and I-”

He cut himself off when the blankets shifted and were then moved aside, revealing a young woman who was fully dressed. “Son? What are you talking about?”

Will was saved from having to answer when he heard footsteps behind him, and whirled around to look at Hannibal, whose eyes were roaming over Will like he was some fascinating little puzzle to be solved. “I believe that there has been a misunderstanding here,” Hannibal said lowly in an unfairly pleasant voice. “I never said that the father inquisition was mine.”

Will jammed his hand into his pocket, and wrapped his fingers tightly around the handle of the knife he’d brought with him. “What the hell is going on here?”   


“I felt that your agreement came too quickly and too eagerly based on everything you’d said before. So I asked you to come during a time I knew that your target would not be home, to see what you would do. And I am terribly sorry to inform you of this, Will, but you have failed. It is unfortunate, as I had put my hopes in you.”

Resisting the urge to just scream out all of his frustrations, Will suddenly pulled out his knife, still in its sheath, and tossed it onto the floor. “We’re done.”

It was hard to tell in the dark, but it seemed as though there was a suspicious gleam in Hannibal’s eyes, and he didn’t say anything in response. Will turned to leave the house, but was immediately aware of the fact that Hannibal was following him. He glanced back several times, and saw that Hannibal was holding Will’s knife in a way that just barely bordered the line between threatening and casual. 

When he got to the front door, Will paused to look back one last time. Surely Hannibal couldn’t just let him walk away in one piece, knowing everything that he did? Especially now that he knew Hannibal had some kind of accomplice, even if Will didn’t know anything about her beyond a vague impression of what she looked like. 

Hannibal noticed him staring, and let out a soft chuckle. “Oh, don’t worry, Will, I’m not going to kill you right now.” He waved the knife slightly to draw attention to it. “Believe me, I will come up with something far, far worse.”

,,,

Will returned home clearly shaken, and sank down onto the couch after grabbing the bottle of whiskey that Molly kept on top of the fridge (where Walter wouldn’t be able to reach it). He popped it open and poured himself a glass that he quickly downed.

The light in the living room flicked on, and Will squinted at the sudden brightness. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, and then he saw Molly walking towards him, wearing her pajamas and a bathrobe. She sat down next to Will, and hesitantly reached out to put her hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong? Where have you been?”

He hadn’t had nearly enough to drink to use it as an excuse, but that’s when he broke down and told Molly about everything that had happened. He just needed for someone else to know and understand, even if it did bring her into a mess that she didn’t deserve to be a part of. But it felt worth it in that moment, especially when Molly pulled him into a hug and held him close, whispering reassurances into his ear until he fell asleep.

,,,

Molly felt her whole body shaking a little bit as she walked up the house that Will had been to the night before. She cleared her throat, then reached up to ring the doorbell. The door was answered by a pretty young woman with dark hair. She tilted her head at Molly curiously. “Can I help you?”

This had to be the girl Will had mentioned, and suddenly Molly felt foolish for coming here. But she was already here, and felt that it was too late to turn back now. She had to at least try to help. “Are your parents home?”

The girl frowned. “My mother’s dead and my father’s on a hunting trip. Why? Who are you? What do you want?”

Molly shook her head. “I’m sorry, it was a mistake to come here, I’ll just-”

She turned to go, but the girl reached out to grab her arm. “Wait- you’re here about Will Graham, right?” Molly didn’t nod or say anything, but her face must have given away her answer, because the girl seemed to relax slightly. Then she gave Molly an almost smug little smile. “It’s really such a shame, because he seemed like someone who could be a good friend to Hannibal. But your friend should learn to be more careful with his belongings. I wonder what could have happened to the clothes he was wearing that night. Wouldn’t it be a shame if there was anything that could connect him more directly to the time of the murder?”

Molly’s eyes widened in realization, and she tugged her arm free so that she could run to her car and fumble to pull out her cell phone as she rushed home. She had to warn Will that Hannibal was going to plant evidence to fully frame him for the murder. 

,,,

Will wanted to go home immediately to be there when Hannibal showed up, but Molly shook her head. “You can’t! If you don’t go to the guest lecture that you have scheduled for today, then the agents following you will get very suspicious. You have to stick to your normal activity.”

Will clenched his teeth, but then conceded the point. “I’ll need to be able to slip my tail as soon as the lecture is over. I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you- will you help me?”  
Molly glanced over at where her son was quietly drawing at the kitchen table, then looked back at Will. She nodded once. “I’m sure we can come up with something clever enough to get you there. Just promise me that you’ll be safe, Will. Whatever happens, I wouldn’t be able to bear it if you got hurt.”

Will gave her a small, tense smile. “I’ll be fine. But you need to stay safe too. We don’t know anything about the girl Hannibal’s working with, and she could pose a serious threat to you or Walter.”

Molly walked away from Will for a moment, and returned carrying the handgun that she always kept locked up in the hallway closet. “We can look out for ourselves. But I think that you’ll need this more than us.” She pressed the gun into his hand despite his protestations. “I may have practiced at a shooting range a few times, but you were a cop, I’m sure you have a lot more experience with using one of these things.” With that settled, they got to work with putting together a plan so that Will would be able to slip the agents following him. 

,,,

Will arrived at the university he had planned a lecture for ages ago with Walter and Molly in tow. He headed to the lecture hall that he’d been scheduled to speak in, and made sure that Molly and Walter got settled into their seats that were at the end of a row so they wouldn’t disturb anyone when Walter got up to play his part. 

Will walked to the little stage at the front of the room, and set up his materials on the podium. He’d brought a couple of his books with different sections bookmarked to read from, along with several notecards covered in messy little scrawls. He quickly reread all of his notes, since they’d been prepared before he’d had to deal with all of the current disasters.

It didn’t take long for the hall to fill up, with even some people standing around the edges because they were unable to get seats. Will cleared his throat, and began speaking. He talked about his time on the force and how it inspired him to write crime fiction, and then he talked about the start of his writing career.

Will was aware that he was rushing more than he usually would when public speaking, even though the lecture would be over in exactly eighty minutes no matter how much of the material he covered in that time. He covered everything in his notes, about his career and the stereotypical inspirational crap that was supposed to encourage everyone in the audience to follow their dreams and whatnot. 

Eager to move on to the more mindless activity that he had planned, Will began reading from his books. That passed a lot of time, and then he spent the last few minutes speaking some more. He glanced at the clock on the wall, and was relieved to see that time was up.

But one of the professors who had invited Will here in the first place and organized this whole thing proved to be the devil when he opened the floor for questions. Will hoped that he wasn’t sweating too heavily as he answered the questions as bluntly and shortly as he could. He knew that Alana would probably kill him for this later, since it definitely didn’t make him come across as a likeable figure, but he’d rather be known as a rude author than a murderer.

As people started to drift out of the hall, Will knew that it was time. Walter had already gone outside to flag down a cab for him a few minutes before the end of the lecture time, and just now he tripped over one of the FBI agent’s feet and began bawling big, crocodile tears. 

Will slipped out with the rest of the audience as Walter expertly kept the agents distracted, and then he got into the cab that was waiting by the curb outside the building. He put on the jacket Molly had insisted on having Walter leave in the cab for him, since it was dark and normal looking compared to the brightly colored one Will had worn during the lecture. 

When they reached the end of Will’s long driveway, he hopped out of the vehicle and paid the driver his fare along with a hefty tip, then waved the driver off before jogging towards his house. It was just starting to get dark out, but that was enough for Will to see that there were lights on inside, even though he was sure that the FBI wouldn’t have left them on.

Will clutched the gun that he had brought with him at Molly’s behest, and slowly entered through the unlocked front door. He made his way to the kitchen, where he heard noises coming from. He was glad that Alana had been watching over his dogs since Matt’s murder, since it meant that Will wouldn’t have to worry about one of them getting in the way and accidentally getting hurt now.

When he finally spotted the intruder, Will paused out of surprise. It wasn’t Hannibal like he had expected, or even the girl from the other night, but instead was a man that Will didn’t recognize. He didn’t believe that it could be a coincidence that this man happened to be here on this specific night, but he was very confused about it. “Who are you?” he asked while pointing the gun right at the man.

The man turned to look at him, disgust written across his features. “You,” he growled. “You’re the one who wants to take my daughter away from me. You can’t have her! She’s mine!” 

“What are you-?” Before Will could finish asking, the man suddenly charged at him, and it felt like instinct to pull the trigger. The man staggered back, eyes widened in an almost comical display of surprise, but then he continued forward, even as he bled. Will fired the gun again, and then found himself pulling the trigger over and over until there was no way that the intruder would ever be able to get up and walk again. 

That’s when a hand gently wrapped around Will’s wrist and lowered his arm, then took the gun out of his stiff fingers. “Ah, it seems that you could keep our bargain afterall,” came Hannibal’s soft voice. “And what a beautiful sight you make now.”

Will shook his head. “I’m not a murderer,” he insisted, feeling numb. “It was self-defense.”

Hannibal raised one eyebrow. “Do you really think that the FBI will believe that, Will? You left your watchdogs to return to the scene of a crime, only for you to leave another body in your own house. How do you think that will look to them?”

Will shook his head again, feeling stubborn. “If I go down, then you’re going down with me.” He wasn’t foolish enough to mention that Molly knew everything, not wanting to endanger her more than he already had, but he thought about it. Even if Will got arrested for killing the stranger in his kitchen, Hannibal would also go down for killing Matthew. 

But Hannibal didn’t seem ready to accept that. “Why must either of us go down? We both got what we wanted, didn’t we? This doesn’t have to be the end of that. Look at how beautiful you are covered in blood.” Will hadn’t even realized how close the stranger must have gotten to him for the blood to splatter so much across Will. “I’ve always wanted to show off the wonders of Venice. And France, and Greece, and everywhere else that I’ve only ever enjoyed on my own before. You could come with us.”

“Us?”

Hannibal nodded. “Abigail, the girl you met before. The man you just killed was her father, but was not sustainable. He wasn’t like us, he didn’t understand the art of what he did. He would have eventually let his passion consume Abigail whole, but you saved her. So, what do you say, Will? We don’t have much time before Jack and his agents come here. I already have everything we need to start our new lives.”

Will shook his head before he could even think about it. “I’m not a murderer,” he said again, even though the blood on his hands said otherwise. “Do what you want, but won’t drag me into it.”

Hannibal closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose, as though trying to memorize Will’s scent. “That is your choice to make.” He reached out to cup the side of Will’s face, and leaned closer so that their foreheads were gently touching. “It is a shame. I see so much potential in you.”

In that moment, Will thought about everything he had in his life. His dogs, his dead husband, his editor, his best friend who had already put so much on the line for him. He didn’t want to leave everything behind, but if he had to leave it all either way, he’d rather leave on his own two feet then be locked up in prison for life. “Wait, I just- why me?”

He kept his eyes closed so that he wouldn’t have to look into Hannibal’s piercing eyes. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to pay any attention if he saw Hannibal’s heavy gaze on him. Hannibal let out a pensive hum before he answered. “Because I knew from the moment I saw you that you were meant to be more.”

Will took in a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “I- I suppose that if it’s between jail and a European vacation, I can figure out which one sounds more appealing. I just- I just need to write a note. For my friend.” He felt Hannibal nod and step back. Will hated that he felt a bit colder the moment Hannibal was no longer touching him. 

As Will’s eyes fluttered open, he caught just a glimpse of the knife in Hannibal’s hands. It was Will’s knife, the one he’d thrown down on the floor in front of Hannibal. It was put away so quickly that Will nearly didn’t catch it, but he did. His breath caught in his throat at the thought of how close to death he’d just been. At the thought that he hadn’t even needed to know about the knife to change his mind. What kind of messed up things did that say about him?

There wasn’t time to focus on that at the moment, though. Will quickly grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and wrote out a quick note to Molly. He apologized for everything he’d put her through, and for never being able to love her the way she loved him. He wrote that he hoped she and Walter would have the best lives possible, full of happiness and beautiful moments. 

With that taken care of, Will headed towards the front door to leave. Hannibal was waiting there for him, one hand extended. Will hesitated for a moment, then reached out to thread his fingers through Hannibal’s. Even that small gesture was enough to send shivers through Will’s entire body.

They walked in the dark and silence for a few minutes until they reached a waiting car that still had the engine running. The girl- Abigail, was in the backseat along with several duffel bags, and her face brightened when she saw Will get into the passenger seat. “So you are coming with us? That’s great. Have I ever told you what a fan I am of your books?”

It was so unbelievably bizarre, but Will let himself be driven away, the sound of Abigail’s chatter in his ears. He craned his neck to look back at his house, the lights still on, and thought that it looked like a lighthouse in the dark, trying to guide him home. He watched as it grew smaller and smaller, until it wasn’t even a speck in the distance. Then he finally turned around to face front again, and caught sight of the tiny little smile on Hannibal’s face. 

This wasn’t the life that he ever would have chosen for himself, but he thought of the bloody body still lying on his kitchen floor, and the cheerful young woman in the backseat who had finally been liberated from a stifling parent, and the man in the driver’s seat who looked at him like he really, truly, mattered, and he thought that maybe this wouldn’t be the worst choice he’d ever made.

,,,

Will and Hannibal sat next to each other on a train, thighs and arms pressed tightly together because of how crowded it was. They were on their way back from a gorgeous opera, where they’d both had a few too many drinks during the intermission for either of them to drive back to the house they were currently staying in, where Abigail was waiting for them. 

An older man sitting across from them looked up from his phone, and then did a double-take when he saw Will. He leaned forward to make it clear who he was talking to. “Excuse me, but are you Will Graham?”

Will gave the man a smile that bared all his teeth, looking more like a predator than anything else. Then he glanced at Hannibal, who was watching with amusement, before he focused on the stranger. This was exactly how he and Hannibal had met, and though that had ended well, he was a wanted murderer now, with the FBI having claimed that he was possibly the Ripper himself. So Will just shook his head. “Sorry, you must be mistaken.” Then he stood up, and pulled Hannibal up by the hand to lead him to a different train car. 


End file.
